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As far as I know, I’m completely out of Sis’s room…

May 8, 2005, 10:25 PM

Note the “as far as I know” part of that. I went through Sis’s room tonight and grabbed up everything that was mine that I put in there in January for my botched clean-out project that I didn’t get on Friday. I did, however, stash most of it in the corner of my room here, which hopefully will give me enough space to clean out the closet. If I forgot something, I’m sure Sis will let me know. But I’m pretty sure I got it all.

Otherwise, here’s a tip for all of you when handling fresh flowers, particularly roses. Watch for thorns. A customer today brought a bouquet of fresh roses to my register. I, without giving it a second thought, grabbed them to scan just like I do for most flowers – by the stem end, so as not to mess up the flowered end. And I got a handful of thorns, with a particularly sharp one poking my right middle fingertip. No blood, thankfully. But that was enough for me to quickly drop the arrangement back onto the counter and reassess how to pick up those flowers. That hurt.

Also, have you ever thought about the real scents that companies name their products for? My favorite is the fabric softeners, specifically the “Fresh Rain” scents. I remember the commercial where they say, “Snuggle’s nose knows that the best scent to be found is after the rain falls down.” Have you ever smelled the air right after the rain falls down? It is not a particularly pleasant smell, and it’s certainly not what’s in that bottle of fabric softener. If they made it really smell like the smell of fresh rain, I’m certain it would be a real stinker, both literally and figuratively.

Of course, you are looking at the person who doesn’t think flowers smell like much – certainly nothing I’d go running around for, saying to everyone, “Here, smell this flower!” Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Schumin says, “A rose by any other name still doesn’t smell like much.” So who knows. Of course, right now I can hardly smell anything since it’s allergy season. But even during the other nine months of the year when I can smell things, flowers still don’t smell like much of anything.

And since I mention allergy season, that’s what time of year it is now. From April to June, I’m just miserable, since allergy medication doesn’t do a whole lot for me. I get congested, particularly in my nose, and you can always tell where I am – just listen for the sneezing. If you’ve ever wondered why so many of my outdoor photo sets are done during the winter, that’s a big reason right there. Springtime is allergy time. I’ll be better again by the end of June. I’ve got the World War II Memorial and Malcolm X Park planned for this summer for Photography. I wouldn’t touch either location with a ten foot pole before then, however, since before summer starts, it’s allergy season, and with Malcolm X Park in full bloom, and all the trees near the Mall, I’m steering clear. I’ll stay near the places where pavement is prevalent until then.

Meanwhile, I’m contemplating another vacation for this summer. Remember last year, how I went to the beach? I’m thinking about hitting Virginia Beach once again this year, though I’m going to take a longer trip this year than I did last year. Last year, you may recall, I took a two-day vacation. Go down there one day, stay the night, and then come back the next. It was a good trip, but it was too short, and I tried to pack too much into those two days, and I ended up getting perhaps four hours of sleep at the hotel. This year, I’m going to make it a three-day trip. Arrive one day, stay the whole next day, and then leave on the third day. And I’m thinking about staying at that new Travelodge that was going up last year when I went by. And if I can’t get there, I’ll stay at the Ocean Holiday once again, which was a lot better in 2004 than it was in 2000.

So there you go.

Web site: About.com: Surviving Spring Allergy Season

Song: "It's the most wonderful time of the year" - yes, the Christmas song. Don't know why I'm thinking about that one.

Quote: "It's allergy season. Life will be better in late June."